Protective headgear

Abstract

Protective headgear in the form of a helmet ( 1 ) and a face mask ( 2 ) of a cage-like construction connected to the helmet ( 1 ) by loop straps. The face mask ( 2 ) is formed from rigid bars ( 7,8 ). The bars ( 7,8 ) are of a fiber reinforced polymer composite material co-consolidated at a number of intersections. The fibers forming one bar are physically anchored to the fibers of another bar at the intersection ( 9 ) by interleaving, knotting, stitching, stapling, etc. The anchoring of the fibers gives considerable added strength at the intersections ( 9 ) as the integrity of the joint is not dependent on the properties of a thermosetting or thermoplastics polymer material. Helmets are made in the same way.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. Protective headgear comprising: 
       a cage structure including rigid bars, each bar including a bundle of yarns, each yarn being formed of aligned reinforcing fibres embedded in a polymer matrix material;  
       a plurality of cage intersections comprising at least two bars meeting and co-consolidated together; and  
       anchoring means for connecting at least some of the fibres of one bar to the fibres of the other bar at the intersection, the anchoring means being provided by interleaving at least some of the yarns of a bundle forming a bar to some of the yarns of another bundle forming another bar.  
     
     
       2. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  1  in which the bars are interconnected by infill panels formed of a fibre reinforced polymer composite material co-consolidated with the bars. 
     
     
       3. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  1  in which all the yarns of a bundle project through the bundle forming another bar at the intersection. 
     
     
       4. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  1  in which one bundle forming one bar is wrapped around another bar at the intersection. 
     
     
       5. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  1  in which one bundle forming one bar is wrapped around another bar and back on itself at the intersection. 
     
     
       6. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  1  in which one bundle is knotted to another bundle at the intersection. 
     
     
       7. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  1  in which some of the yarns forming a bar are turned at the intersection away from the other yarns, such that the yarns form at least part of two other bars projecting away from the intersection. 
     
     
       8. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  1  in which some of the yarns forming a bar are turned at the intersection away from the other yarns such that the yarns form from the intersection at least part of all the other bars at the intersection. 
     
     
       9. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  1  in which at least three bars form an intersection with a hole therebetween, each bar being interleaved with two adjacent bars lying above one and below the other. 
     
     
       10. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  1  in which there are four bars forming a substantially rectangular hole therebetween, each bar being interleaved with two adjacent bars lying above one and below the other. 
     
     
       11. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  1  in which the bundle comprises a plurality of lengths of yarn twisted together to form a coherent bundle. 
     
     
       12. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  1  in which the yarns forming each bundle are longitudinally arranged in side-by-side configuration. 
     
     
       13. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  1  in which the yarns forming each bundle are longitudinally arranged in side-by-side configuration and in which additional yarns are double-helically wrapped around the longitudinally arranged yarns to form an outside retention covering over a core of the longitudinally arranged collimated yarns. 
     
     
       14. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  1  in which the anchoring means includes additional yarn stitching the yarns together to interleave the additional yarn with the yarns at the intersection. 
     
     
       15. Protective headgear comprising: 
       a helmet;  
       a face mask of cage structure;  
       means for securing the face mask to the helmet;  
       a cage structure including rigid bars, each bar comprising a bundle of yarns, each yarn being formed of aligned reinforcing fibres embedded in a polymer matrix material;  
       a plurality of cage intersections comprising at least two bars meeting and co-consolidated together; and  
       anchoring means for connecting at least some of the fibres of one bar to the fibres of the other bar at the intersection, the anchoring means being provided by interleaving at least some of the yarns of a bundle forming a bar to some of the yarns of another bundle forming another bar.  
     
     
       16. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  15  in which one bundle forming one bar is wrapped around another bar at the intersection. 
     
     
       17. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  15  in which one bundle is knotted to another bundle at the intersection. 
     
     
       18. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  15  in which some of the yarns forming a bar are turned at the intersection away from the other yarns, such that the yarns form at least part of two other bars projecting away from the intersection. 
     
     
       19. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  15  in which some of the yarns forming a bar are turned at the intersection away from the other yarns such that the yarns form from the intersection at least part of all the other bars at the intersection. 
     
     
       20. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  15  in which at least three bars form an intersection with a hole therebetween, each bar being interleaved with two adjacent bars lying above one and below the other. 
     
     
       21. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  15  in which there are four bars forming a substantially rectangular hole therebetween, each bar being interleaved with two adjacent bars lying above one and below the other. 
     
     
       22. Protective headgear comprising: 
       a helmet of cage construction;  
       a face mask;  
       means for securing the face mask to the helmet;  
       the helmet including rigid bars, each bar comprising a bundle of yarns, each yarn being formed of aligned reinforcing fibres embedded in a polymer matrix material;  
       a plurality of cage intersections comprising at least two bars meeting and co-consolidated together; and  
       anchoring means for connecting at least some of the fibres of one bar to the fibres of the other bar at the intersection, the anchoring means being provided by interleaving at least some of the yarns of a bundle forming a bar to some of the yarns of another bundle forming another bar.  
     
     
       23. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  22  in which one bundle forming one bar is wrapped around another bar at the intersection. 
     
     
       24. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  22  in which one bundle is knotted to another bundle at the intersection. 
     
     
       25. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  22  in which some of the yarns forming a bar are turned at the intersection away from the other yarns, such that the yarns form at least part of two other bars projecting away from the intersection. 
     
     
       26. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  22  in which some of the yarns forming a bar are turned at the intersection away from the other yarns such that the yarns form from the intersection at least part of all the other bars at the intersection. 
     
     
       27. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  22  in which at least three bars form an intersection with a hole therebetween, each bar being interleaved with two adjacent bars lying above one and below the other. 
     
     
       28. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  22  in which there are four bars forming a substantially rectangular hole therebetween, each bar being interleaved with two adjacent bars lying above one and below the other. 
     
     
       29. Protective headgear comprising: 
       a helmet of cage construction;  
       a face mask of cage construction;  
       means for securing the facemask to the helmet; and  
       the cage construction including rigid bars, each bar comprising a bundle of yarns, each yarn being formed of aligned reinforcing fibres embedded in a polymer matrix material;  
       a plurality of cage intersections comprising at least two bars meeting and co-consolidated together; and  
       anchoring means for connecting at least some of the fibres of one bar to the fibres of the other bar at the intersection, the anchoring means being provided by interleaving at least some of the yarns of a bundle forming a bar to some of the yarns of another bundle forming another bar.  
     
     
       30. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  29  in which one bundle forming one bar is wrapped around another bar at the intersection. 
     
     
       31. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  29  in which one bundle is knotted to another bundle at the intersection. 
     
     
       32. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  29  in which some of the yarns forming a bar are turned at the intersection away from the other yarns, such that the yarns form at least part of two other bars projecting away from the intersection. 
     
     
       33. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  29  in which some of the yarns forming a bar are turned at the intersection away from the other yarns such that the yarns form from the intersection at least part of all the other bars at the intersection. 
     
     
       34. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  29  in which at least three bars form an intersection with a hole therebetween, each bar being interleaved with two adjacent bars lying above one and below the other. 
     
     
       35. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  29  in which there are four bars forming a substantially rectangular hole therebetween, each bar being interleaved with two adjacent bars lying above one and below the other. 
     
     
       36. Protective headgear comprising: 
       a cage structure including rigid bars, each bar comprising a bundle of yarns, each yarn being formed of aligned reinforcing fibres embedded in a polymer matrix material;  
       a plurality of cage intersections comprising at least two bars meeting and co-consolidated together; and  
       anchoring means for connecting at least some of the fibres of one bar to the fibres of the other bar at the intersection, the anchoring means being provided by additional yarn stitching the yarns together to interleave the additional yarn with the yarns at the intersection.  
     
     
       37. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  36  in which one bundle forming one bar is wrapped around another bar at the intersection. 
     
     
       38. Protective headgear as claimed in claim  36  in which one bundle forming one bar is wrapped around another bar and back on itself at the intersection.